FOX Gets Punished, CW Gets Bayed

Six months ago, in the very first edition of the Channel Guide here on FSR, I wrote a list of five comic book character that would make for great TV. Apparently working at FSR has granted yours truly psychic like powers because according to Deadline, in one of the last deals before buying season ends, FOX has ordered an adaptation of The Punisher from former Criminal Minds show runner Ed Bernardo with a put pilot commitment.

The Punisher is more than prime for a television adaptation. However, based on the description of this version of the series, it appears that the character of Frank Castle is being changed from an all out murderous vigilante, to more of a Batman type character. “The Punisher is described as an hour-long procedural with a Marvel signature and a new take on one of Marvel’s more iconic characters, Frank Castle, a rising star detective with the NYC Police Department who moonlights as the vigilante Punisher seeking justice for those the system has failed.”

No mention of Castle’s murdered family and since the project is on FOX proper and not a more mature network like FX, it does raise concerns about how dark the show can really be. That said, Bernardo’s alma mater Criminal Minds does get away with some very dark and graphic material, and on a much bigger network. Not that FOX isn’t big, but CBS is the juggernaut of the big three, let alone four.

As an added bonus, Marvel is going to be on hand through every step of the series, even after it makes it to air. Luckily, we only have to wait a year to see how this one turns out.

But that’s not all.

According to Variety, CW has purchased a new drama series called Outsiders. The show is scripted by Supernatural writer Adam Glass and Executive Produced by non-other than Michael Bay.

In what will be Bay’s first television project to make it past the development stage (I remind you of his “still in development” Cocaine Cowboys HBO adaptation and reality-game show One Way Out), Outsiders follows “a quirky sociology professor with an almost savant-like expertise in subcultures. He is partnered with a young but uptight female detective and the pair solve crimes involving youths and subculters in Los Angeles”

The series is being run by Bay’s Platinum Dunes as well as CBS Television Studios. In response to why the series was purchased, CW head honcho Mark Pedowitz says he wants to expand the network beyond the 18-34 female demo. And he also likes the potential to tap into the international market that comes with the Bay brand.

A Michael Bay series is something I’ve been waiting to see for a long time and to have one finally make it the pilot stage (though still not a guarantee for the airwaves), I am very excited by the potential for awesomeness.

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